The present invention relates to a receptacle for a feed mechanism, in particular for a feed mechanism for a stud welding device, with a receiving body having a receiving chamber connected to a feed duct and a conveying duct extending substantially perpendicularly to the feed duct, and with at least one blocking means which is arranged in the orifice region of the feed duct and reduces a cross section of the feed duct.
The receptacle serves to collect and hold components, in particular studs, and welded-on parts, in particular weld nuts. Such receptacles are provided for feed mechanisms which are used wherever, for example, cylindrical parts have to be supplied to a further processing station in large numbers as is the case, for example, in the car industry. Other known examples of such feed mechanisms are known in rivet clinching tools.
Components are supplied by compressed air by means of which a component is conveyed within a feed tube or a feed conduit to the receptacle. The component is accelerated during the feeding process. It is necessary to stop the component and to hold it in a predetermined position in the receptacle. For stopping a component, it is known to provide a baffle plate which the component strikes in the receptacle. However, this solution causes components having a relatively large weight to rebound, so they do not adopt a predetermined position. To limit a rebound, it is known to provide a blocking means which reduces a cross section of the feed duct at a distance from the baffle plate in the feed duct in a receptacle. The blocking means is a sphere which penetrates partially into the cross section of the feed duct. The sphere is spring loaded. When a component is supplied to the receiving chamber of a receiving body, the component presses the sphere out of the cross section of the feed duct against the spring force so that the component passes into the receiving body. The component is partially decelerated during this process. A spring-loaded sphere is used so that the component is not completely decelerated by the forces occurring between the sphere and the component before entering the receiving chamber. On the other hand, the spring-loaded sphere has to ensure that the forces between the component and the sphere are sufficiently great during any rebound of the component for the spring-loaded sphere to prevent the component escaping from the receiving chamber. For this purpose, it is necessary to adjust the force acting on the sphere within close tolerances. As the forces occurring between the sphere and the component are also dependent on a coefficient of friction, it cannot always be ensured that the components will actually also be held in the receiving chamber by such a blocking means. Owing to its geometry, a sphere does not contribute to a blocking effect, so this effect has to be created merely by the spring force on the sphere.
German Utility Model No. G 94 06 687.6 also discloses a feed mechanism for elongate components, in particular rivets, studs, pins, weld-in parts and the like. The feed mechanism comprises an inlet orifice which can be connected to a feed conduit and an orifice in the top region thereof as well as a clamp with at least two clamp arms. The clamp arms comprise a front clamping region in which the actual clamping process is carried out and a rear pivot pin region which allows pivoting of the clamping arms for opening and closing the clamp.